Rigid ladder polymers are promising materials for efficient gas separation, and their high rigidity is desirable for selectivity in gas separation. The synthesis of ladder polymers has been performed via Diels-Alder reactions, and based on Tröger's base formation and double aromatic nucleophilic substitution. Many of the synthetic methods still result in relatively flexible linkages in polymer backbones except for Tröger's base linkage. Additionally, the scope of ladder polymer structures is restricted by the few available synthetic methods, and often ladder polymers are formed with low yields.
It is against this background that a need arose to develop embodiments of this disclosure.